ABSTRACT
It has been almost 20 years since atomic force microscopy (AFM)
appeared in the field of bioscience. Scientists have taken up the
challenge to use AFM to grapple with biological phenomena that
have been explained neither by genetic nor by biochemical methods.
While the introduction of a new device holds promise for new
breakthroughs, the disadvantage exists that there is uncertainty
about the efficacy of the new technology. How and why did
pioneering scientists introduce AFM into biology in the emerging
phase of the technology? How have nanobiology communities that
use AFM sprung up and developed subsequently? This chapter
introduces the general trend of bioscience as studied using AFM.
First, we will introduce the short story of AFM in biology, including
interviewsa with researcherswho initiated areas of bio-AFM studies,
and then we will overview the recent trends in bio-AFM research.
